Winning

July 6, 1981

Bjorn Borg lost his Wimbledon tennis crown as graciously as he had worn it for five years, just one short of the Willie Renshaw record that has stood for almost a century. Will Borg's toppler, John McEnroe, reign as long? It depends on the competition, of course, but also on a kind of struggle that is instructive beyond the grass of the famous Center Court. People in any walk of life can face a version of what McEnroe finally had to do: control himself as well as his tennis.

During the Borg match McEnroe did master the unseemly conduct that brought him fines earlier in the tournament.At one tense moment, such was his notoriety, he received applause for notm throwing a tantrum. But then he failed to show up at a gala dinner to give the champion's traditional speech of thanks to the Wimbledon committee. Chris Evert Lloyd, another winner is what came close to a United States sweep, was left to "apologize, as an American, for the fact that he is not here."

Doing a job superbly with no apology finally needed -- it's something to keep working toward, whether in the career of a young sports star or in the daily oc cupation of any one of us.